MALONE, SEXTON SHINE AS WAUSAU CONTROLS FROM START TO FINISH AGAINST GROWLERS.
KALAMAZOO, MI- The Wausau Woodchucks picked up their fourth consecutive win, along with their third straight victory on the road, as they took down 2024 Northwoods League champions Kalamazoo 12-3 on Saturday night. The win tied Wausau’s largest margin of victory on the road in 2025.
The win means Wausau has started their longest road trip of the season 2-0 and is now 12-6 to start the 2025 season. In addition, Lakeshore’s road win against Madison on Saturday means the Woodchucks take sole possession of first place in the Great Lakes West standings, and now have the best record in the entire Great Lakes Division.
Noah Malone (Loyola Marymount) shined at the plate in the win. The Wausau outfielder came in as a substitute midway through the game and delivered, going 2-2 and drove in three runs, which included a two-run triple that turned into an inside-the-park home run after a Kalamazoo error.
The Woodchucks wasted no time getting on the board. In the first, Wausau loaded the bases for Cael Boever (Grand Canyon). In Boever’s first at bat as a Woodchuck, he cleared the bases with an RBI double into right-center field to give Wausau an early 3-0 advantage.
Wausau then added on in the fourth. Christian Smith-Johnson (Texas A&M-CC) extended his hit streak to 18 games with a single, the best hit streak in the Northwoods League. Ryan Pruitt (South Florida) would drive in Smith-Johnson with a two-out RBI base hit that made the score 4-0.
The Growlers would respond with two runs in the bottom of the fourth, but Wausau pulled the momentum back in their favor. In the bottom of the fifth, the Woodchucks got out of a two-on, nobody out situation by turning an inning-ending double play. Then, in the top of the sixth, Noah Malone got his first RBI of the day with a double, giving the Woodchucks a 5-3 lead.
The Woodchucks then opened it up in the seventh inning by tagging on five runs, their biggest inning of the game. Cade Baldridge (Cowley CC/Kansas) got his first hit as a Woodchuck with an RBI double, and Jake Weatherspoon (Indian River State College/Virginia), followed suit, registering his 13th RBI of the season with a single. Then, Noah Malone delivered his inside-the-park home run, and suddenly, Wausau had a 10-2 lead.
Wausau would add two more to their tally in the ninth, when Dylan Schlotterback (Paris JC/Kansas) ripped an RBI double into left-center field. Schlotterback has five hits and four RBIs in his last 3 games, and he was one of four Woodchucks hitters who finished with multiple hits on the night. That helped Wausau clinch one of their most dominant road wins in the 2025 season.
The Woodchucks had plenty of help on the mound as well, with Landon Sexton (USC Upstate) leading the charge. The right-hander earned the win after turning in another superb performance in relief, giving up no runs and striking out eight hitters in four innings of action. Only two Kalamazoo hitters reached against Sexton during his appearance.
The rest of Wausau’s pitching staff played a part in the Woodchucks allowing just two runs to their opponents for the second straight night. Sam Nitzke (Angelina College/UT-Tyler) finished with a no decision in his fourth start of the season, after pitching four innings and allowing two runs, while striking out four hitters. In the ninth, Tucker Russell (Wichita State) came in to get the first two outs, before infielder Keagan Jirschele (South Dakota State) got his first chance to pitch for the Woodchucks this season, as he recorded the final out of Wausau’s win.
Wausau’s arms combined for 14 total strikeouts in the win, and only allowed five hits. In Wausau’s last three road games, they have allowed just ten total runs to their opponents.
The Woodchucks will continue their longest road trip of the season by facing the Kalamazoo Growlers again tomorrow afternoon. The matchup against the defending Northwoods League champions on Father’s Day begins at 12:35 CST, with game streaming on ESPN+. Tyson Potts (Wayland Baptist) is expected to start with Wausau, as he sports a 0.50 ERA in three starts so far this season.
The Woodchucks will return home on Sunday, June 21st, when they face the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders at 1:05 p.m. Tomorrow, the Wausau Ignite host the Madison Nightmares in an exciting Father’s Day matchup at Athletic Park, with first pitch set for 1:05 p.m. Fans can see the Wausau Woodchucks and Wausau Ignite in action all summer by purchasing tickets at woodchucks.com.